Conducting A Symphony
by Elijah Colt
Summary: Neku has been seeing things since he finished the Game. With his distractions, his friends notice but don't know how to approach him until its too late. He wants answers but is not wanting to ask for them. Instead answers come from someone he trusts and he doesn't exactly like them. Conductor!Neku (NekuJosh) SlowBurn Cross posted on Ao3 under EliColt21
1. Pro: Changes of weather brings

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own in any capacity TWEWY, SquareEnix or any FF references that pop in to this work of fiction that will come up. That honor belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and the people of SE, Jupiter Corporation, or h.a.n.d.**_

 _ **Beta-read by: None, currently looking for a willing reader.**_

 _ **Warnings: Yaoi, Yuri, LGBTQ community in general, mentions of sexual relationships (nothing explicit, I like having my account here), mentions of suicide, Death, mentions of abuse (full spectrum of it), mentions of phobias, crossdressing, swearing, OC's abound(got to have players and other Regions of course).**_

 _ **This will be a slow build story. I have plans for it to go beyond 10 chapters (not counting the prologue) and I wish to expand upon the Game a little more with ideas that I've seen loosely touched on as well as things that I have plotted out. I will do my best to not copy anyone else's works, but it will be a little hard to keep too many ideas from clashing.**_

 _A/N: REPOST AND REVISION is currently going on, I noticed a few inconsistencies and I intend to fix them up before I post anything else. I will also be removing the Disclaimers at the beginning of each chapter after this one as it is superfluous and why have it if it's not needed?_

 _If anyone else notices anything missing or overlooked, please let me know as I still don't have a Beta reader! Hit me up if you are interested!_

 _ **Without Further ado, please enjoy my first posted work of fanfiction:**_

 _Conducting a Symphony._

 _Prologue: Changes of weather brings sights unwanted._

It was odd. This was one of the few times in the city that the weather was gloomy for days- 6 to be precise. Neku fiddled with his mp3 player as he watched the rolling clouds grow heavier with the oncoming rain that had been predicted once again. Sitting in the school, his classroom after hours to work on homework wasn't really helping as his mind kept wandering all over the place rather than the math homework in front of him.

For one, he didn't know what was going on with the weather either, he wanted to believe that it had something to do with the UG and the Higher Plane, but he wasn't going to stick his nose into it if he didn't have to. He could still see the Players and Reapers when the Game was going on and it left him confused, but reluctant to approach Joshua or Mr. Hanekoma for answers. One reason was because he was still angry, and the other because he didn't know how to answer a question he had been given when he had made that mad dash to Cat Street upon waking up in the middle of Scramble Crossing in panic.

" _What would you be willing to trade, if it meant staying in one piece Neku?"_

It was an odd question to be asked, but he had left after getting a few round-about answers from the Producer regarding what had happened after Joshua had shot him again in the Throne Room. Everything had been 'Reset and Rearranged' to make up for the influx of those who lost the Long Game being reborn. Neku could tell that he had remembered everything about those three long weeks. He was unsure about Shiki and Beat remembering everything, but they said a few things that caught his attention every now and then. Rhyme vividly remembered every moment up until she was Erased. He remembered a few weeks after he finished the Game the short girl coming up to him and quietly asking him about it, asking if it really had been real and not a lingering nightmare. Confirming it having happened had poor Rhyme closing in on herself for a day or so before she bounced back with a vengeance, burning determination erupting in place of her former Dream.

Being _alive_ again was more than a little unnerving. To be dead initially, then suddenly being thrust back into the RG where countless people he had known, before he played the Game, asked him how his _vacation_ had gone for him. He needed a damned _real vacation_.

A _vacation_ , it made the most sense. People in the RG simply had their memories altered into whatever floated the Composers boat regarding those that had known and interacted with the successful players. Everyone was back that he played with, even the ones that had died in the second week like Nao and Sota. Seeing the pair happy and unknowing that they had once been dead was a relief that they had been given a second chance to live.

When he had calmed enough and gotten through the shock of being alive once more he, had gone back to Hachiko on the day they promised and when he saw Shiki, Rhyme, and Beat there he was elated for the first actual time since his last friend had left him behind; to see all of them together, he had no fear of being labeled as anything but _friend_ to them. Shiki and Beat would always be his Partners of course, but he was first and foremost their _friend_.

He could however tell that the Game had taken a toll on all of them, in good ways and bad. For Shiki, she had broken free of the leash of the envy holding her, she was less likely to shy away from confrontation now, her strengths had only increased, and she was far more open with Eri now. Beat of course had learned to think a little harder before jumping into action. That had saved him a few times already in regards to his and Rhyme's parents and their attitude towards him. Rhyme however, as she had lost the Game initially her Fee was lost to the City and it had made itself known early on. It didn't stop her though, she kept changing her mind, trying to figure out what she wanted to do, but she learned to stand on her own feet when Beat wasn't around.

What did put him off though was the fact that all three of them had vague memories of the Game. Some things were clear and others were either blurred or completely nonexistent to them. None of them remembered Joshua at all and it bothered him slightly. He kept his mouth shut though about him and went along as if he had another partner between the pair that didn't succeed in being revived with them.

The sound of large rain drops hitting the window had him snapping out of his train of thought to watch the slowly increasing downpour. He grimaced at the thought of running back to his apartment off Dogenzaka in this, but he knew it would need to be done, before it got any worse. Making up his mind he stood up and gathered his things; books, pens, notebooks, etc., - and shoved them all into his bag before grabbing his jacket and throwing it on. Waving goodbye to the teacher at the school entry, when he was called after, he took off running once he hit the rainfall.

20 or so minutes after he left he got to his place and fumbled with his keys, dropping them to the ground, while blinking his wet hair out of his face. "Dammit… stupid weather."

Reaching down to pick them up he grabbed them and straightened back up to open the building doors. The door opening was a relief, as the awning over the door wasn't helping thanks to the strong wind that was blowing the water at an inconvenient angle, once he was inside he shut it quickly, trying to reduce the amount of water already inside. "Jeez… I didn't think the rain would get this bad…"

He looked back out the window by the door, nudged to do so by some unseen force, and startled at seeing a pair of teenagers bolting through the downpour towards the Ramen Don down the road to seek shelter. What had caught his attention though was the fact they were clear to his sight, even through the downpour and the glint of a certain pin on their collars was a certain sign.

The Game was being played once more.

He was Seeing the _Game_ again.

 _ **-LINE BREAK-**_

A few days had passed since he had seen the two teens running through the rain, and while the weather had cleared up quite a bit-still cloudy and gloomy, but less rainy- he was still in a little put off, he had hoped that he wouldn't be able to see the Game anymore after a certain point.

Neku remembered very clearly what had been told to him and Shiki about the game;

" _Now listen up, this Shibuya ain't your Shibuya. It's the Composers Shibuya, which Reapers use to run the Game. No matter what happens, people won't see you, won't hear you, - and they definitely won't help you."_

Mr. Hanekoma had been right. No one had helped them, except for the occasional Reaper during his 3rd week when things had started going downhill.

So why did he see the two Players that day, did something happen to him again and he hadn't known? How often did the Game even happen in the first place? He was confused and it was bugging him to no end. When he had visited with Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme yesterday the three of his friends even noticed his distracted thoughts. Thankfully they didn't press when he had told them that he had no idea what was going on, but he could tell that Shiki was put out.

He didn't want to worry them, he knew he should trust them enough to tell them- he did of course! -but this was something that he was worried would influence them if it truly involved the Game once again. Either way, he didn't want to drop this weight on their shoulders. They didn't need to deal with this on top of their own worries and projects.

Being roused from his thoughts at the sound of a scream Neku's head whipped up and he turned looking for the source of the sound. His face paled and he started to move towards the sight of the two teens he had seen that day. One was fading out slowly while the other panicked and tried to use a pin he recognized as a high-level healing, Peace Full he believed. Seeing that it wasn't working he picked up his pace and unconsciously shifted his Vibe to a lower level, by the time he reached the pair, the girl, now supporting her fading partner, was sobbing while the male apologized softly and weakly.

Hearing the words that was said he stopped moving and listened to them.

"Satoshi, why didn't you tell me you were getting weak?!"

"I thought that we could make it… I was wrong, Hitomi, I'm sorry… Promise you will find me wherever we end up?"

Neku could tell that there was very little time left for either player, but he couldn't do anything to stop what was going to happen. He looked down at his feet and clenched his hands, hating that so many people lost their chances to Noise that were too strong, or trigger-happy Reapers getting twitchy for points. He wanted the Game to end, or at the least change to a better result for people who did try, and for people who did change. There wasn't anything he could do though and he looked back up only to freeze as he met familiar eyes standing where the pair had once been.

"Well now, isn't this a surprise Neku-dear…" Joshua was watching him with a knowing smile, eyes never wavering from his own. The two players had faded out, the girl likely Erased by Noise that sensed a new piece of prey, and now here was the Composer himself, standing in front of him with that annoying smile still on his face. "I think it's time you and I had a long over-due talk."

-LINE BREAK-

 _A/N: This is a starting point for a fic that I have bouncing around in my head. I've only seen a few different versions of this sort of Conductor!Neku and I wish to explore it in my own way. I haven't written anything in a long time and this just sort of started to spill out last night and I already have the first actual chapter at least halfway written out with thoughts being made for the next one or two._

 _I have no clue how long this will be in terms of chapters, but I am hoping at least 10 or so._

 _A/N 2: Before I forget! I would like to have a Beta-reader if anyone is willing to, sends me a request to be one. I can only catch so many of my own mistakes, the same goes for my program!_

 _Please Read and Review!_


	2. Ch 1 Dread and Music

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own in any capacity TWEWY, SquareEnix or any FF references that pop in to this work of fiction that will come up. That honor belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and the people of SE, Jupiter Corporation, or h.a.n.d.**_

 _ **Beta-read by: None, currently looking for a willing reader.**_

 _ **Warnings: Yaoi, Yuri, LGBTQ community in general, mentions of sexual relationships (nothing explicit, I like having my account here), mentions of suicide, Death, mentions of abuse(full spectrum of it), mentions of phobias, crossdressing, swearing, OC's abound(got to have players and other Regions of course).**_

 _ **This will be a slow build story. I have plans for it to go beyond 10 chapters (not counting the prologue) and I wish to expand upon the Game a little more with ideas that I've seen loosely touched on as well as things that I have plotted out. I will do my best to not copy anyone else's works, but it will be a little hard to keep too many ideas from clashing.**_

 _Conducting A Symphony_

 _Chapter 1 Dread and Music_

"Come now Neku, I just only want to talk. Nothing more than that." Josh had noticed his apprehension right away and he held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, as well as showing he had no weapon hand. He looked a little older too, not by much, but closer to 18 than the 15 he had claimed before- irritatingly enough he was taller too.

The redhead hesitated for a few moments before narrowing his eyes. "What do you want to talk about then?"

"Lets go someplace where it's quieter? My treat?"

Neku stared at the other boy for a moment before crossing his arms over his chest. "Where did you have in mind…?"

"How about Shadow Ramen?"

"That's quiet?"

"We certainly won't be overheard with the music they play dear. Besides, it's far more refined now, and is doing decent business without harming Ramen Don down the road." Joshua lowered his hands and placed them into his jean pockets, leaving his thumbs sticking out as he waited.

Thinking it over for a few moments Neku sighed, "Fine, we'll go to Shadow Ramen and talk." ' _Not that I even want to go…'_

"Good, come along dear." The Composer laughed quietly at Neku's growl and started down the road leading past 104 to get to Dogenzaka. Neku followed diligently behind him with a huff of frustration and a heavy feeling of apprehension and dread pooling in his stomach and chest. He didn't want to have this conversation at all now, but he pressed forward, hoping that the little bit of trust he had in Josh wasn't going to waste.

When they got to the restaurant and through the door, Neku jolted to a stop behind Joshua and shuddered in discomfort, not realizing his Vibe had been reset to the RG by force. "What the hell…?"

"Something the matter Neku?" Joshua's voice snapped him out of his discomfort and he shifted.

"N-No, it's nothing."

"If you say so, come on, we have two seats waiting at the Bar already."

"You were planning this weren't you?"

"Perhaps, I was hoping for sooner, but this is fine. It is better late than never after all."

The pair followed the host to their spot and he sat, noticing that there were plenty of people around to cause enough noise to keep them from being over heard. Having their order taken, him getting the newer Shadow Pork Ramen, and Joshua getting Absolute Shadow Ramen both settled more comfortably in the chairs that they sat in for the short wait. "What did you want to talk about then?"

"You'll want to eat before we talk Neku, at least have your bowl in front of you before you ask any deep questions." Joshua watched him from the corner of his eyes and tilted his head. "No harm in a few more innocent questions though. How have you been?"

"I…" Neku fell silent for a moment before speaking, thankful for the music playing loudly from the speaker to their left. He could feel Josh's eyes on him and it made his stomach a little queasy, the feeling of dread coming back full force. "I've been doing alright, a little run down with all the homework I'm still trying to catch up on, but just tired beyond that."

"That's good. At least you are taking your studies seriously now." There was a teasing lilt to his words and it had Neku huffing.

"School sucks but I have to keep going if I want into the art institute in Tokyo. A few of the teachers have it out for me still, but it's nothing new. How have you been?" He looked over to meet Joshua's eyes and held the gaze.

"Ah, I've been doing well, mainly overseeing the Game as usual, it's a little dull without a Conductor still, but I have been managing rather will with Sanae's help. It's good to know that you are following his advice though. I think you will do very well in that career." Genuine interest in the last of what Josh said had brought a smile to his face.

Taken aback by Josh's words he stuttered for a moment before clearing his throat and speaking. "You think so? Not many people think I can do it, so thanks."

"Neku, you have more Imagination than you give yourself credit for. I've seen some of the pieces that you have tagged the walls with and I like them. I do hope that you are taking pictures of them for your portfolio however…"

"I-I am, my arts supervisor makes sure that I am. She wants me to succeed as well."

"Good. Ah, our food." Josh moved to sit back up straight in his seat before he took his chopsticks and broke them. "Itadakimasu."

Neku followed suit with the word and he began to eat. He wasn't really all that hungry right now, the apprehension still holding itself in his stomach like a weight, but he forced himself to eat, trying to take his mind off the feeling. When he felt fit to burst he finished what little was left, and put the chopsticks together and set them down across the middle of his bowl. Looking up to the chef that had placed his bowl in front of him he bowed his head with a polite smile and word. "Gouchisousama."

A few moments later, Joshua finished his meal and repeated the gesture that Neku had done and he looked over to the blond, waiting for him to start speaking now that both of them were done with their meals. "So… what did you want to talk about?"

"Mmm… Have you been noticing things you used to not see before Neku?"

Opening his mouth to deny it his voice caught in his throat and he shut his mouth with a quiet click. Biting his tongue firmly between his teeth he swallowed and tried to turn his eyes away from the piercing violet ones holding him. "I…"

"Please tell me the truth Neku, are you _seeing_ things?" There was a weight to the others voice that made it feel as though he was compelled to answer.

"I am… I don't know why I've been seeing what I have been though. I finished the Game, I beat it three times… So why am I still seeing it Joshua?" Neku snapped his mouth shut at the end of his little spurt, a little agitated with himself for spilling so quickly, but he at least was finally able to break eye contact when Josh sighed and closed his eyes.

"I thought as much. Neku, what I am about to tell you please keep an open mind?"

"An open mind?"

"Yes, an open mind, because what I am about to tell you can and _will_ impact your life."

There it was again. That feeling of dread and apprehension curling together in his stomach, making him nauseated now that he had food in his stomach. Something in his head was screaming for him to just get up and run, but a sense of morbid curiosity was building above all the other feelings he had. He remained silent, that lack of words being his permission for Joshua to continue.

"I have a few questions that I want you to answer as honestly as you can. Have you been having difficulty focusing on things that aren't based upon your creativity?"

He had been, math and science weren't as interesting as they had been before, not unless it was nature or something that had a certain appeal to his Imagination. Now he was scared of the possibilities that could come forward from this train of questions he could tell was coming. "Yes…"

"How often have you been Seeing the Game being played since you finished yours? I'll tell you how many Games have happened after you answer this."

Neku furrowed his brows for a few moments before he answered after thinking about it. "I think I've seen it 3 different weeks, once or twice each time…"

The blond nodded and leaned back against the chair, his eyes still watching the redhead. "The Game has happened 3 times since you've beaten it, currently there is a 4th ongoing. Of those 3 times only 6 Players were granted a second chance. To put you at ease, at least a little, all 6 were paired together with a Pact in the game. Two of the pairs were in the 2nd and the third pair was during the last Game. None succeeded in the 1st Game due to an oversight on my GM's part."

Neku was slightly relieved to hear that there were other successful players, but still a little put out that countless others lost the second chance at Life. "That's good, I guess?"

"It is. The Game is going better than what it could be, there are still a few hiccups and bumps here and there we are trying to smooth out, but… that brings me to my next question. How often have you been slipping into the UG Neku?"

" _What?!_ "

"You heard me. You've been slipping in and out of the UG for weeks now, I've felt it." Joshua stared at Neku with a flat look. The utter shock on his face must have been far more that what Joshua had expected as the Composer frowned and tilted his head once again. "Neku…?"

"How the hell have I been _slipping in and out of the UG?!_ " Neku had one hand on the edge of the counter, clenching it tightly as he swallowed thickly. "I didn't know! How could I have known!? What the hell is going on Josh?!"

A hand reached out to cover over his own that was on the counter and it gave him a slightly comforting squeeze before Josh spoke again. "I was just asking you Neku, I didn't realize you had been doing it unconsciously. Had I known that, I would have spoken to you sooner than this. Calm down Neku, just listen to the Music of the world around you. Let it's sounds calm you down alright?"

Sounds? He could do sounds… Taking a breath he closed his eyes and dropped his head down so his chin was on his chest as he worked on soothing the rising swell of panic and fear.

Soft little tinkling tones, deep slow rumbles and long solid notes cautiously wove through his mind as he focused, trying to drown out the sounds of the babbling people around him as well as the sharp scraping of blades and utensils sliding on metal and the even duller thumps of the blades hitting wood. The notes and tones he had heard when he was initially focusing grew louder, more insistent in its effort at being heard and he reached out to grasp it. He felt a louder burst of music, not quite tuned into the sounds he had been initially hearing, but something more refined, more _composed_. It curled around him, coaxing him to calm and relax, where there was nothing to hurt him at all.

A shuddering breath left him and he finally opened his eyes once he felt calm, having listened to the melody that had played, offbeat from the symphony that had joined it. He lifted his head up and met Joshua's eyes once more with a swallow. His words were soft, almost meek. "What is happening to me?"

"You _can_ hear the Music, can't you?"

"Dammit Josh, what is happening to me?!"

"Answer mine and I will answer yours if you haven't already figured it out."

"I…" he took a deep breath, watching the others face, no sign of a joke or a tease in the violet eyes in front of him. "I can hear music yes… I don't know what to say about it other than it is soothing. Almost like it's a natural form of music like what the waves on the ocean make, or even the sounds of the insects at night mingling with traffic."

"It's Shibuya." Joshua sighed and stood up. "Come with me, I have more answers for you than you know you need. You have to trust me on this dear."

He hesitated, not wanting to leave the peace that he had unknowingly created around himself with the Music in his grasp. What Josh called him again brought another huff forward before he finally moved, slower that Joshua wanted him too judging by the soft snort he heard when he stepped out onto the street again. He rolled his eyes though and shoved his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders slightly as he started walking after Josh.

The other had slowed down to match pace with Neku and he lead them back through past the crossing and down through the Underpass. Feeling another shift as Neku stepped past the wall that protected Shibuya River, he shuddered, feeling like something was pulled away from him, much like being stripped naked.

"Neku?" Joshua stopped when he didn't hear any more footsteps he turned slightly to look to Neku.

"Why am I feeling like something has been taken from me?" The redhead looked back up and met his eyes once more, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Oh… I'll answer that when we get inside, alright?" An unfamiliar expression crossed Joshua's face before a faint smile was back in place.

"Right…" Shrugging off his discomfort, Neku returned to following him, remaining quiet as he looked over the murals on the walls, remembering the familiarity of each one as they had been plastered everywhere in the RG at some point before being _'retired'_ so to speak from the public eye. Crossing the little bridge leading to the door he could faintly see in the gloomy environment, he looked down to the River flowing past.

It was staticky as usual and there were a few words and sounds that he could make out to hear pleas for help, yells of anger, laughter, and countless other noises and sounds. It was confusing, but he would be getting answers. Hopefully.

A resounding click and a disturbance in the air drew Neku's attention to Joshua once more who was waiting for him at the entry to the Dead Gods' Pad. When he entered it, it was different. Plain almost to the point of making his head hurt. Nothing was really the same as it had been before, the large bar was gone, as was the set of low seats. The seats were replaced by simple white couches and there was a table at each end of the pair as well as one placed between them. The walls were an off-white and the floor was thankfully unchanged, the fish still swimming lazily beneath them as they moved to the couches.

"Go on and sit Neku. I'll be back in a few minutes." Josh walked towards the wall where the bar had been, only to vanish into what normally would have been thin air. But to him, there was an ominous door that appeared out of nowhere that the Composer stepped through. Resisting the urge to follow him out of his own curiosity he moved to sit on one of the couches, thankful that it was softer than it looked. He slid down into the cushion and relaxed after he had nudged his shoes off. Pulling his legs up onto the couch with one arm, he leaned back fully and let his head fall onto the back of the sofa.

He closed his eyes and tried to make sense of what had been happening these last few weeks. What little he could figure out pointed in a direction he didn't want to touch upon, but something in his gut- it could be that feeling of dread again- told him that it was highly likely to be the reason. Deciding to let his mind wander he let the sounds of the River and the Music, he was starting to hear a little more clearly now, flow around him and into his ears.

There was a peaceful flowing to the music, almost like a Zen garden at one of the temples. The soft but quick and normally startling clack of a Sōzu had him blinking his eyes open for a moment before letting the current catch hold of him once again. Sitting here in the relative silence of the Pad had him near dozing, his breathing had even calmed to a gentler and relax rhythm compared to what it had been what now felt like hours ago. Now, nothing was going to bring him out of the peace that he had found. He needed this, to be able to relax without worry or distractions, needed the peace that the Music was gently pressing onto him to soothe him.

-LINE BREAK-

Neku started when a hand was placed carefully onto his forehead and he blinked his eyes to look up to the familiar face above him. Sanae Hanekoma was watching his face, as if searching for something. "You alright? I wasn't expecting to see you here for a while boss…"

"I… I don't know. Josh said that he would explain stuff to me but he's been gone for a little while I guess. I don't remember what time I got down here with him." Neku sat up, turning to look at his idol who was watching the door that was still closed.

"It's Day 7 for this week, he must be dealing out the rewards and choices for the Players that made it. There were quite a few this Game. Over 100 in fact. 10 made it all the way through the Game this round." Sanae turned his attention back to Neku and gave him a smile. "Don't worry yourself about that for now alright? By the way, I like the way this place looks now. Definitely better than what Kitaniji had going."

"Huh? It's just a plain room…" The sound of a Sōzu hitting a stone had him turning towards the sound. What he saw had him blinking in surprise. "How did… How did that get here? It wasn't there before."

The entry way into the Pad now was reminiscent of a rock and sand garden with a pond as a side view where the Sōzu was steadily filling and emptying with a satisfying clack, every minute or so, from the small waterfall coming out of a fixture in the wall. Bamboo shoots were growing around the back edge of the little pond and a soft splash drew his attention as he stood up to go over to it. Another splash showed him that the fish that were beneath the glass floor had found their way to the pond's surface and were enjoying the slight freedom.

"The Music. I don't know how much Josh has told you, so I will let him do the talking boss, but I can say this much. You asked for it, and the Music answered you." Sanae rubbed at the back of his neck before leaving his hand there while he watched the redhead.

Neku held silent for a few more moments before he turned back to lay out on the couch again. He was getting tired again and Josh was taking forever in the Throne Room. The young man laid out on his back, throwing an arm over his eyes and he sighed, lifting his arm to look over to Mr. Hanekoma when he spoke again.

"Get some shut eye Phones. You'll need it if that is any indication. Josh will wake you when he's back."

"'kay… Thank you, Mr. H." He let his arm flop back over his eyes and let himself drift again, falling back into the Music once more.

"No need to thank me."

-LINEBREAK-

"I see that he has already started to influence the Pad Sanae."

"He has, it caught me off guard as well. I like it though, a little bit of peace in here."

Neku rolled over, his back to the room as he groggily listened, hearing Joshua's voice as well as Mr. H's quietly murmuring across from him. He didn't want to wake just yet, enjoying the quiet that was only punctuated by the steady clacking from the corner.

"You are going to tell him about what he's sliding into right?" Mr. Hanekoma quietly asked.

A soft hum was heard before the blond answered. "I was thinking of just letting him do as he wished, and possibly work during the next Game in a few weeks. Or at the least observe the next game going on in either Shinagawa or Bunkyo(1) so he can see what to do. Chiyoda(1) did their Game at the same time as us and there would be no point in sending him over there when we have roughly the same Game scheduling as they do."

Shifting fabric was heard and then the soft tapping of feet on the glass was heard before a clink of some glasses were heard. Neku slowly opened his eyes, staring at the back of the sofa he had fallen asleep on, still refusing to move from his spot. The light above him was soon blocked out and he glanced up, turning his face to see Josh's face watching him with amusement. "You're awake. Good."

A groan left his mouth and he buried his face back into the cushion, stubbornly refusing to wake up. By doing that he missed the large grin that snapped onto the Composers face, he did however feel what had been done when he let out a yelp and launched himself off the couch his head soaked with water. "What the hell Josh?! What was that for?"

Laughter echoed through the room as well as a melody of amusement echoing through what he could hear past Josh's voice. Even Mr. H's laugh was heard and he pulled his headphones off from around his neck, hoping that they weren't ruined by the impromptu bath he had been given. He scowled up through his soaked bangs at Josh before he leaned forward and shook his hair out with one hand, the other still firmly clenched around the headband of the headphones. "Really, why did you drench me?"

"You weren't waking up." There was still an obvious sound of laughter still in the Composers voice as he watched Neku. "You had questions and I have answers if you still want them"

Neku frowned and sat back down, setting his headphones off to the side so the water still in his hair didn't land on them. "Questions, right…"

Joshua moved back to the small sink in the furthest corner from the entry- that wasn't there before, was it? – and he filled the glass as well as another which he brought over to Neku before he sat down across from him next to Mr. H who was looking at a file in his hands. "What do you want answered first?"

Neku had a whole list of questions that he wanted answered and he took a few moments before he asked the first one he believed to have the same answer. "What is happening to me Josh? Why am I hearing Music now?"

 **\- End of Chapter -**

 _A/N: Here we are with the end of the first official chapter of Conducting A Symphony. I do hope that those of you who are reading this work of fiction have liked what you have seen so far._

 _Explanations:_

 _Three districts surrounding the heart of Tokyo itself._

 _Please read and review! Let me know what you think!_


	3. Ch 2 Answers bring more questions

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own in any capacity TWEWY, SquareEnix or any FF references that pop in to this work of fiction that will come up. That honor belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and the people of SE, Jupiter Corporation, or h.a.n.d.**_

 _ **Beta-read by: None, currently looking for a willing reader.**_

 _ **Warnings: Yaoi, Yuri, LGBTQ community in general, mentions of sexual relationships (nothing explicit, I like having my account here), mentions of suicide, Death, mentions of abuse(full spectrum of it), mentions of phobias, crossdressing, swearing, OC's abound(got to have players and other Regions of course).**_

 _ **This will be a slow build story. I have plans for it to go beyond 10 chapters (not counting the prologue) and I wish to expand upon the Game a little more with ideas that I've seen loosely touched on as well as things that I have plotted out. I will do my best to not copy anyone else's works, but it will be a little hard to keep too many ideas from clashing.**_

 _Conducting A Symphony_

 _ **What happened last time:**_

 _Joshua moved back to the small sink in the furthest corner from the entry- that wasn't there before, was it? – and he filled the glass as well as another which he brought over to Neku before he sat down across from him next to Mr. H who was looking at a file in his hands. "What do you want answered first?"_

 _Neku had a whole list of questions that he wanted answered and he took a few moments before he asked the first one he believed to have the same answer. "What is happening to me Josh? Why am I hearing Music now?"_

 _Chapter 2 Answers bring more questions._

Joshua was silent for a long few moments, agitating Neku for the time that the other took, but when he spoke it was not exactly what he wanted to hear. "I'm surprised you haven't answered that yourself. But I will humor you on this. Your body and Frequency are adjusting itself to that of a Conductor, which you inherited by defeating Megumi. That is also the source of the Music you are hearing, from the inheritance of the power."

Neku wanted to deny it, to scream that it wasn't true, but there was something in the back of his head accepting it as fact. Taking a slow breath and shuddering in the feeling of a chill he looked back up to Josh and Mr. H who was now looking over the rim of his glasses between Josh and Neku. "Can I pass it off to someone else?"

"No. Not unless you want to be dead for real this time. Erasure is the only possible _official_ way to pass on the mantle of Conductor or Composer for that matter." Joshua sat back and crossed his arms over his chest as he brought a leg up to cross them. "I doubt you want to go that far Neku. But, there is another way to go about it, you won't like this either because it still ends in one of two ways, Erasure or Ascension. You would have to be deemed either too weak by the Higher Plane for the first, or too powerful to continue as Conductor to Ascend."

Neither sounded appealing in truth, and Neku shifted, clenching his hands into the fabric of his pants, frustrated at the lack of choices. "Why are you telling me this now? When there have been 4 games already…"

"Because if a few more games happen without the proper Conductor, rather than the Acting, Shibuya will collapse on itself and that would not end well for anyone." Violet eyes were burning into his and he swallowed as an undercurrent of worry swept through him through the Music, as if Shibuya itself was fearful that he would deny it. "To put it bluntly, nothing would _Live_. Everything would be bland, no inspiration at all, no artwork, music, fashion, nothing. What Megumi was trying to do by Imprinting upon the population was a small fragment of what the destruction of Shibuya would have been like."

"The Higher Plane also wouldn't react well to the loss of one of the larger Regions either. We are truly intertwined in with Tokyo's Game as well as the surrounding Prefectures. The loss of one would in turn affect the surrounding ones, before bleeding out to more and more of the Country before the world unless someone can stand up to Revive the Source of the damage." Neku looked over to Mr. H when he spoke following Josh's answer. His usual amused voice was stern and blunt. "Also, the Angels would come for you to start with. There would be no choice, they would take you Phones, nothing you would be able to say or do would help you either. I don't know what they would do with you, but you wouldn't be yourself any more that's for sure."

"Indeed. Even I don't know what would happen if you were to refuse to pick up the mantle Neku." Neku turned back to Joshua and nodded slowly at his words, now somewhat resigned to his sudden gain of position. "It won't be so bad dear, I'm not as difficult to work with as you think. I'm rather lenient to what the Conductor does so long as things get done and reviewed properly."

"Fine… And don't call me that." The redhead snarked off to his Composer. A burst of pleasure and happiness echoed through the Music, erasing any of the worry and fear that had previously been weaving through it as he had been thinking of how to get out of being the Conductor. He took a breath and relaxed, letting it weave through him as he went quiet again. The next few questions were quietly spoken. "What am I supposed to do? How often do I need to be in the UG? What will this do to my RG life?"

A chuckle and a soft snort were the start of answers and Neku huffed. Joshua spoke though while chuckling. "It's quite simple Neku. You are to oversee the Game in all its workings. You will be taking the Fees, regulating potential Missions to the GM you pick for the weeks Game, approving the Final Designs for Pins, Noise, and Clothing that Players encounter, Promoting or Demoting Reapers, and dealing with all manner of smaller tasks that pop up throughout the course of the Games. The main task that you will be needing to tend to of course is being the First and Last line of defense for the Throne Room where I will be residing from the 5th day until the 7th when I will decide the Rewards, Choices, and Consequences of the Players as well as some of the Reapers."

Everything that the blond had told him made his head spin slightly. "That's simple?! That's a Lot of things to get done for a Game!"

"Neku, majority of it works hand in hand with everything else, moving on. You need to be in the UG at least a few hours every day. You can choose when and how often a day you shift your Frequency, and no you don't have to live in the UG if you wish. Most of the Reapers are still present in the RG with the exception for Game weeks. During that time the Reapers are to remain UG the entire time, you however do not need to be here fully until Day 7 only. It is your choice to participate actively or not beyond the Final Day. The Game will always start upon Sunday and conclude on Saturday where you will bring the Players to the Throne Room for Judgement and as stated before for the Results I will tell you." Josh was faintly amused at the questions being asked, and to himself Neku was getting a little annoyed with his voice.

"Your RG live will be as affected as you let it be. But I will say this; You are effectively immortal and you will _not_ age when you fully embrace your power. You can Elevate your Frequency to appear what you would be like as you would have naturally aged, but at your Base you will be the age you are the moment you Rise." His Composer's voice was stern, but not to an unfriendly degree, and he grimaced at the thought of being forever a teenager. "You are a little way off from Rising to that point, but it is not far. I give you a few months before it slides into effect. When that happens, you should be ready to gradually adjust to keep people whom do know you from suspecting anything if you hold onto them as friends."

The corners of Neku's mouth thinned as he thought about the implications of what could possibly happen to him were he to remain the same. More questions than even he would be comfortable with would be asked of him and he didn't want to risk the friends he had currently were he to refuse to age. Questions that he didn't know if he would be able to get the answers for them without revealing what was going on at that. He knew that everyone remembered a little bit of what happened in their Game, but he didn't know how much was remembered. "You're being rather forward for once. Usually you lead me around in circles before you give me an answer…"

"This is a serious matter Neku, I'm being honest because if you turn down the role then I have to start from scratch before Shibuya collapses from the strain. Also, Sanae even said that you prefer honesty over veiled truths." A careless shrug was given as Joshua reached forward for his glass of water to take a drink. "Anything else?"

Neku let his eyes trail off to the side as he thought once more and his eyes fell upon the little rock garden at the entryway. "A few. How did I manage to do that? Mr. H said that I wanted it so it came to me, but I don't get why it did that. Isn't this your domain?"

"Hardly, this is _our_ domain Neku. You have just as much influence over the functionality of the Dead God's Pad as I do. I just had no reason to take sole responsibility over the whole design. Quite frankly, I have no plans for this room beyond keeping the fish tank below us. The rest is for you to choose, Megumi held the design for the previous one all to himself and I let him. Just as I am letting you keep that choice." Josh shrugged once more as he watched him, the ghost of a smile starting to tug itself onto his face.

"Oh." It made sense. Several other questions he could feel were bubbling up, but he figured most them would be answered by his own hand as he started to ease into being the Conductor. But only a couple stood out. "For now I have just a few more questions… Do I need to eat and sleep?"

A grin crawled onto Josh's face and Mr. H, who had remained silent and once again focused upon his files, softly snorted in amusement. He was the one who answered that question for Neku. "You don't need food, but it does help you build up your energy, your Soul, as well as resting helps… reset so to speak, your strengths to keep you at your peak without diminishing anything. Plus, your Soul and Imagination will continue to grow if you keep up with your physical health. In other words, keep doing what you do Phones. Alright Josh, here you go. Paperwork is all done as well as some of the ideas that you had. I'm off, got somethings to do still today."

Taking the papers to look them over Josh lightly waves his free hand at the older male. "Alright Sanae, see you later. Try not to drown yourself in paint again."

"Of course not, I'm likely to drown in paperwork that you make up for me more than the paint I use. See you later Phones. Any other questions that Josh doesn't answer I'll try to if you stop by." Sanae turned his attention to Neku and the teen blinked before nodding.

"See you later Mr. H…" The next blink he started as the man had vanished that quickly. "How did he do that?"

"Hmm?" Josh looked up from the file and then to where Sanae had been standing and he gave Neku a lopsided smile that made the one he was looking at want to punch him. "Oh, he just shifted his Frequency to a higher one. Even I can't see him unless I move up to that Frequency, he's gone for now."

Now Neku was silently plotting Josh's murder in his head, discarding ideas as even more amusement flowed into him from what he was starting to understand was Shibuya's Music. That brought up another question out of the blue and it spilt from his mouth before he could stop it. "How sentient is Shibuya?"

"Very. Shibuya itself cannot speak to normal people, but she is intelligent to a terrifying point to those of lesser status. She cares deeply for those within her borders and I know she was and still is furious with me for the threat I posed upon her during the Long Game." To echo the blond's words there was an upheaval of discordant notes showing it- _her_ displeasure. It echoed in Neku's head and he reached up to grasp the side of his head as he felt the beginnings of a headache. "She was very pleased when I brought you back, even more pleased with herself when you defeated Megumi actually. Shibuya herself was chafing at what he had restricted her with, as well as hoping that you allow her to branch out and grow even further."

"She?"

"Yes, she. Shibuya in her most basic form is a Mother to all the people within the city. Plus, when she does 'speak' it is as a young woman, close to your age in fact. It depends on her mood, how she appears, but often when she does Shibuya prefers to be seen wandering her own streets. In fact, you may have seen her wander before in the RG. I can 'speak' with her and in time you will be able to do the same." Josh turned his attention back to the papers in his hands. "Anything else you need answered Neku? I'm not going to be this generous when you see me next, I have a reputation to upkeep after all…"

"Will I meet other Composers and Conductors?"

"Why wouldn't you? Next week I will be sending you to watch another Region work their Game so you can get a feel for how it works. This way I'm not throwing you entirely into the fire as Sanae had so crudely put it while you were sleeping. As well as there are some gatherings that happen every couple of months to let everyone have a breather so to speak. All Games are put off for a week, and everyone from Composer down to Support Reapers can have free reign. Of course, there are limits to the freedom, but it is far more than what it could be. In fact, after our next game there is a Gathering, I believe it will be in San Francisco this time…"

"San Francisco? Why there?" Neku was confused as to why it would be over there, but Josh answered him quickly.

"Because we don't always have Players that are located here from just our Game borders. I've had several unlucky Europeans and Americans fall prey to the Game, as well as several of ours fall to other nations Games." The look on Joshua's face had Neku huffing in agitation before he looked back down to the papers once more.

"If you have no other questions, Sanae will have a new laptop and phone for you to use by the time you are at your place. It's still your current number, just a more updated model as the one you have currently won't assist you all that well with your new duties. Much like how he upgraded our phones during your Second week, he added several new ones as well as fixing a few of the original, ones should be a manual included for how to use them. I'm sure you can find your way back home from here yes?" The papers were up in front of the blonds' face, but his eyes were watching Neku, an eyebrow raised waiting.

"I can… but I have one last ques-" The exasperated sigh had him clenching his jaw for a moment before he continued. "I have one question. How do I shift my Frequency? I don't exactly want to be stuck in the UG if someone comes over to my place that doesn't know…"

"Oh, that. That is simple, think of your Frequency as a radio, just tune yourself until you hit the right channel or layer and you will be good to go. You'll know which level you need to be on when you do it. Go on… You have school in the morning dear." Joshua waved his hand nonchalantly at the air in dismissal as he tuned Neku out fully, intent on the file.

"Simple, right… thanks I guess." Neku looked down at the still untouched glass of water and grabbed his headphones and put them back on before he stepped outside, making his way back down the River and through the streets, Shibuya itself guiding his feet with the soft tones of her Music. He was lost in his own mind, not truly paying attention to what was going on around him as he thought about what was going to be happening in the future.

It was surprising yes, but it was something he had an inkling would happen after he started to find those reports that Mr. H had mentioned. He wasn't dumb, even he could piece together some of what was happening around him subconsciously, there were just some answers he was worried about receiving when the time came.

One of which was a big question that he should have asked Joshua about. What would his Noise form look like? For that matter, what would his Wings look like or did he even _have_ wings? A humming note of calm rolled over him when Shibuya sensed the worry and upset that he was working himself into. It was all very surreal to him and he didn't exactly know what to think of his new situation.

When he hit 104 he stopped in the middle of the street and looked up to Q Floor, watching the advertisements flickering across the screen here and there along with the occasional Breaking News flash. Thinking about he snorted softly as he remembered the whole day of him and Shiki running around trying to promote the Red Skull Pin. It was an annoying series of fights to do when he finally got Shiki to calm enough to do the Mission. After the first two of attacking and nothing coming from it they both decided to switch roles, Shiki being the heavy hitter while he played defense to get the pin to sell. That single pin as well as Cure Drink and Shockwave were the only ones he wore into the fights. He could have gone with a few more pins, but he didn't want to run the slight risk of something happening to ruin their chances of success.

In truth, he was glad that they had managed to succeed that way as it helped Shiki grow more confident in her abilities as well as to help her push past the jealousy that had been eating at her. To finally meet the real Shiki was amazing, and when he met Eri at the same time it caught him a little off guard, but he took it in stride. Shaking his head, he continued down Dogenzaka to get home, aiming for a long hot shower and hopefully a good warm meal, even if it was just takeout.

-LINEBREAK-

 _A/N: There is this chapter finished now! That is two down out of who knows how many I can pump out, I'm going to try to update every couple of days or so, but if work gets hectic, work will be the priority as I want to go on vacation later this year and my mom and I are paying for it so… If money comes up I am taking the chance._

 _I am still looking for a Beta-Reader for this work, I had a few prospective ones that I was going to message until I read through the entirely of their Beta profiles and was rather put out at the content they weren't willing to work with as well as inactivity on the site. But I will not give up. Please message me if you are interested at all, my Message box is open to PMs._

 _I will also be posting this on Archive, I like both sites and both have a good variety of fictions that I read. If anyone has any feedback I would be very happy to accept it._

 _As always, Read and Review please!_


	4. Ch 3 New gadget, claiming a job and

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own in any capacity TWEWY, SquareEnix or any FF references that pop in to this work of fiction that will come up. That honor belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and the people of SE, Jupiter Corporation, or h.a.n.d.**_

 _ **Beta-read by: None, currently looking for a willing reader.**_

 _ **Warnings: Yaoi, Yuri, LGBTQ community in general, mentions of sexual relationships (nothing explicit, I like having my account here), mentions of suicide, Death, mentions of abuse(full spectrum of it), mentions of phobias, crossdressing, swearing, OC's abound(got to have players and other Regions of course).**_

 _ **This will be a slow build story. I have plans for it to go beyond 10 chapters (not counting the prologue) and I wish to expand upon the Game a little more with ideas that I've seen loosely touched on as well as things that I have plotted out. I will do my best to not copy anyone else's works, but it will be a little hard to keep too many ideas from clashing.**_

 _ **Chapter Specific Warning:**_ _ **There will be a portion that does have emotional abuse near the middle. In the process, there will be a new character introduced and he will play a part here and there throughout the remainder of the story.**_

 _Conducting A Symphony_

 _ **What happened last time:**_

 _In truth, he was glad that they had managed to succeed that way as it helped Shiki grow more confident in her abilities as well as to help her push past the jealousy that had been eating at her. To finally meet the real Shiki was amazing, and when he met Eri at the same time it caught him a little off guard, but he took it in stride. Shaking his head, he continued down Dogenzaka to get home, aiming for a long hot shower and hopefully a good warm meal, even if it was just takeout._

 _Chapter 3: New gadgets, claiming a job, and limitations_

Waking up the following day was not fun, his head ached from the information overload that he had done his best to cram into his skull in a last-ditch effort to study for his math and a few other tests. Blindly reaching for his phone with his hand as he laid face down only resulted in knocking the device onto the floor with a clatter. Cursing softly, he pushed himself up and then he leaned over to grab it off the floor itself where it was still screaming loudly at him.

Shutting the alarm off he rubbed at his face before he started to get ready for the day, hoping to be at the school early enough to hopefully compare notes with one or two of his classmates that didn't actively hate him. Brushing his hair out he dressed swiftly, not caring which of his uniforms he grabbed, just so long as it didn't smell (thankfully it didn't) and he downed a quick breakfast before finishing up with brushing his teeth and he was out the door a few minutes later, his jacket on. Briefly he turned back to grab his umbrella, the clouds looking as if it were to rain again, and he was down the road jogging quickly.

During the previous night, he didn't really look over his new things that Mr. H had left for him on his desk in their boxes, and both the laptop and manual were now in his backpack so that he could look over them during his break. Thankful for there being nothing in the school rules about bringing devices in so long as they didn't disturb the rest of the class. The phone was silenced and in his jacket pocket where he could grab it easily. With it being a Sunday, it was just for testing, but he still needed to be dressed properly as he had a few that he needed to retake anyhow and one of the teachers that he had to make up for was a stickler for the rules, and one of the ones that had it out to fail him completely.

Neku made it to the school without worry of rain and he tucked the umbrella away into his bag while he changed his shoes and took his coat off to store away for the time he was here. Meeting with the remedial instructor he was given directions for which classroom to go to for his tests and he thanked the woman who was looking frazzled, and her Music was echoing a discord of worry of something that was small. He couldn't' tell for certain what it was just yet, but he wanted her to relax as seeing her like that would panic some of the students that needed to arrive still.

Hearing the Music of Shibuya move to do as he asked he watched out of the corner of his eyes as the young woman started to calm. It gave him a slew of ideas that he could try to work with through the week until he had to go to the district that Joshua sent him to, to observe. Maybe he should stop by Mr. H's place to ask a few questions that he wanted to clarify? Shaking his head as he reached the classroom door he was assigned to, he decided against it for now.

Now that he was in the classroom he let himself get set up. It was going to be a long day and when he was free he wanted to go someplace where he could go over the things that he now had. Just get through the day and he would be home free.

-LINEBREAK-

As Neku finished the last of his tests, he stretched his arms out over his head and stacked the papers on top of each other before he gathered up his things again. Moving to the front of the room with his test in hand he gave it to the teacher before he slung his bag over his shoulder and left the room for the day. Thankfully he finished before noon so he had the rest of the day to himself now and he had plans to make the most of it. Which included reading about how to use the new phone apps he had as well as the laptop which when he did look it over initially looked different than to what he was used to.

Getting the rest of his things was quick work and he grimaced at the sight of the downpour that was happening now. He sighed as he brought out his umbrella and opened it as he stepped out to the courtyard. Glancing back over his shoulder he saw the teacher from before looking a lot calmer and there was even a smile on her face as she stared at a flower arrangement. He didn't read any further into anything, letting her have her peace and he turned down out of the courtyard onto the street proper.

Listening to the rain falling and hitting the cover of his umbrella played a little melody of amusement from the City. A half smile formed on his face as he moved through the rushing masses, people going to and fro. The few vehicles that drove in this part of Shibuya moved carefully down the road, being courteous of the walking citizens to not splash them. There was a yelp ahead of him and a splash as a person stumbled and dropped a bag into a puddle followed by frantic curses. Sighing he moved over to them and held up his Umbrella over their head to give them a chance to find everything that had spilt onto the wet ground.

The young man looked up and then scrambled to get everything that he had dropped and he shoved it all into his bag before he beat a hasty retreat, embarrassed and murmuring a soft thanks to Neku before he was once again lost in the crowd. Neku shook his head and rolled his eyes as he made his way past his apartment and down the road to Ramen Don. Good, warm, authentic and home-cooked ramen was calling his name. He stepped out from under his umbrella and shook it free of some water.

"Irrashai! Ah! Neku, Its good to see you in today!" The owner spoke up with a wide smile from behind the counter. "The weather has driven a lot of my usual customers away, so it is good to see at least one familiar face."

"Hello Mr. Doi, I know, the weather has been rather bad lately. Do you mind if I sit here for a few hours? I have a project I want to work on, but I don't really want to go home to do it…" Neku sat at the end of the bar, closest to the bathrooms so that he was out of the way and had access to a plug in on the wall.

"Go right ahead Neku, would you like your usual Shoyu?" The man was already starting to move about behind the counter.

Neku brought his new laptop out and set it up on the counter. "Of course. Thank you very much." He knew that by the time he finished getting everything set up his food would be settled in front of him so he did his best to hurry though everything. Lo and behold, once he turned his attention away from his laptop a bowl was set in front of him. Taking his chopsticks he broke them apart. "Itadakimasu!"

While he was eating he and Mr. Doi spoke, the man asking how his school was going, curious as Neku hadn't been in for a few weeks. "Honestly for a while there Neku I was worried something happened. Not seeing you for almost 2 full weeks was a little strange."

"Eh, I've just had a lot on my plate. Several projects as well as remedial work from my vacation needed to be finished and I wasn't exactly the most talkative during it either. Thankfully I finished the last of my major tests that needed to be made up for today. Just two minor ones I can take after school tomorrow." Neku took another large mouthful of his ramen.

The much older man nodded his head, arms crossed over his chest. "Good for you Neku. If you keep up with your schoolwork I'm sure you will have your dreams come to you. Have you heard anything back from the schools you applied to?"

A shake of his head was his immediate response while he finished chewing and swallowing. "Not yet. I've still got a few weeks before I hear something from any of them so I'm hoping that I can get to the one that I want. My portfolio is large enough for that schools requirements."

"You will Neku." Mr. Doi's words were final as another pair of people ran in laughing at the fact they were soaked through. Neku shook his head and finished his meal up while the chef got their orders and he directed his thanks to the him.

Moving his bowl to the side where he didn't run the risk of knocking it to the floor he pulled his laptop towards himself. Starting it up he was greeted instantly by the familiar decal that graced the doors of some businesses. With no password yet and only the basic information on it he got to work, filling out the small tidbits of information that he was prompted to. When he was given access to the desktop itself he blinked as he looked at the icons that were on the side.

Each was labeled neatly and there were a series of folders running along the bottom of the screen. Noise, Pins, Harriers, Support, Players, Composers, Conductors, and others… So many different files and that wasn't even the programs that he looked up to read over.

One caught his eyes instantly and he opened it out of curiosity. A world-wide chat hub for all different ranks of the UG. He was prompted instantly, asking for a Username and Password that he provided, remembering what was stated at the beginning of the manual. Now with his alias set up he scrolled through the chat rooms, seeing there was a variety, in all sorts of different languages, about different celebrities, books, shows… On the site now, was a good one or so million, the chat logs constantly shuffling as someone responded to something new every few seconds.

He wanted to narrow it down and he flipped through the book at his elbow to see where he could find the search feature. When Neku found it in the book he repeated it on the screen and selected what he wanted to narrow it down to.

 **New to what position?** \- _Conductor_ ; **Region** \- _Japan_ ; **District or Territory** \- _Shibuya_ ; **Need questions answered?** \- _Yes_

What had been millions of chats dropped down to a much smaller sum, barely more than 100. Seeing the much smaller number he saved the search so that he could get back to it. For now, he closed the program and opened one of the files along the bottom of the screen. He chose the file for the Noise and started to go through them, seeing what designs were still active and what ones weren't any longer. There were even ideas that were still to be used. He frowned at some of them, reading through the stats they had and some he raised eyebrows over. A few he could see being put into the game in the future, but others he didn't even think would pass for a legitimate opponent.

Neku remembered what Joshua had said, with him being one of the approvers for the final designs of Noise and he thought in silence. Like with the chatroom he closed out after a little while, and went to the next files, moving through them after skimming over the basic details of the Reapers under his command along with the requests for GM status' put forth by the Harriers to gain more Points. He blinked before he sat up, that was a question he needed an answer for soon. How exactly did the point system work for the Game? How was everything regulated?

Thinking quickly, he pulled out his only empty notebook and he started to write down the questions he needed answered still. This pattern continued, for another few hours before he finally yawned and set his pen down and closed his notebook several questions written within it. Barely anyone had come in after the laughing pair had left earlier, only a handful or so made their way in before they left, bellies warm and full. It didn't help that Mr. Doi was slowly working his way through his cleaning tasks, signaling that he was drawing closer to closing up for the night, and Neku started to pack up his own things, closing his laptop and sliding everything into his bag.

"Are you done for the night then Neku?" The older man asked him while washing out the sauce pan pot.

"Yea, I got a lot done but I do need to get moving now, school is in the morning and I really don't want to be tardy at all this week or next for that matter." Neku grabbed his bag and slung it onto his shoulders and reached for his umbrella where it was hanging off the edge of the counter. "I will see you later Mr. Doi."

"Have a good night Neku." He waved over his shoulder to the man before he opened the umbrella again and he started towards his apartment now. Bed was calling for him and he wanted to be in the best mood he possibly could be for dealing with his homeroom and math teacher in the morning.

When he got up to his apartment he stopped after he opened the door. Lights were on already and he knew for a fact that he had shut every single one off before he left for the day. Now on edge, Neku cautiously moved in, taking his shoes off and setting them up out of the way, another pair of familiar shoes brought a scowl to his face. He could hear keys being tapped at on a keyboard and his face fell further into the dark frown. His father, Kōichi Sakuraba, was home.

Hanging up his jacket, Neku moved to go past the living area where he knew that his father had set himself up in with countless piles of paper work and plans to go over. Hoping that by some lucky fluke the man would let him go past without being bothered. The sound of a pause in the keys being hit he pursed his lips knowing what was going to happen as he had stepped past the door. "Neku? You're home late."

For a few moments Neku stayed silent, biting his tongue against the scathing replies that he wanted to give the man, Shibuya's Music doing its' best to keep him calm and from lashing out at the man. So far it was working, but there was still the low simmering of anger as he turned back towards the room to lean around the frame. "I had things to do after my testing."

"You had testing today? Why?"

"Remember I went on vacation, for three weeks. I had to finish up the last of them."

"I… I don't remember you going on vacation..?"

"I went on my own. You were somewhere in Australia." Came Neku's blunt reply.

"Right, I do remember you sending me a message now. Did you have fun?" The man watched his son, wanting to at least be included in a small part of his son's life.

"At first it sucked, but it got better. When did you get home?"

"This morning, you weren't home when I got in. Thank you for keeping track of the mail."

"It wasn't hard. Thanks for keeping a roof over my head." He knew he was pushing it with his rude words, but right now, he wasn't happy. Neku hadn't heard from his father beyond the monthly checks he received in the mail for rent and other bills.

"Neku." There was a stern look on his face and Neku stared right back at the man, not wanting to give in.

"What?"

"Why do you act like this?"

Neku watched the man for a few moments before tightly answering him, his fingers clenched on the strap of his bag. "Because you are never around unless something happens. I hear from you once a month, via a check, which is just _barely_ enough to make all the bills and pay for food."

With that, his mouth clicked shut and he bit at his tongue sharply, a very venomous phrase ready to spill out of his mouth before he spoke again, his words sharp. "I already ate, I'm going to my room to finish my paperwork."

"Paperwork? For what?" _Of course._ That would be what the man focused on out of what he said and Neku gave him a disinterested look.

"I have a job. A new one at that and I have to finish the papers for it." His tone was blunt, hoping that the man got the message that he was not happy.

"Where do you work?"

Shibuya's Music wrapped itself around him in a firm embrace, anchoring him, keeping him calm. Images came to mind as he spoke, his voice tight with frustration. "I work with CAT. I have stuff to do _dad_."

"That won't get you anywhere in life Neku. Art will do nothing for you if you wish to be able to live comfortably." There was disappointment in his fathers' voice but Neku couldn't bring himself to care at all.

"I would rather live by doing what I love, than to be trapped behind a desk with little inspiration. I'm not stupid dad, I am still getting good grades. I just have no interest at all in being a conformist paper pusher like _you_." The teenager was getting increasingly agitated with every word his father spoke, and he knew it would just be best if he just left the room and locked himself in his bedroom, but what was said next had him locked in place.

"Your mother would be disappointed in you Neku. Not going into Architecture like she was, you have such potential for it. A very good eye for detail, smaller ones like her." He could hear it dripping off his fathers' voice, and feel it in the Music that echoed from the man. It stung, but he swallowed thickly and plastered a fake smile on his face.

"Then I will be continuing to disappoint. I am doing what _I want_. Mom wouldn't care what I am doing so long as I am _happy_. You wouldn't know that though. You weren't here." That was a very low blow he struck, and he could tell by the jump at the vein in the side of his dad's neck that he struck a nerve. But in truth he was sick and tired of the man's remarks about him and what he did. Time to strike below the belt in return. "Mom told me to do what would make me happy, and I am doing what _she_ wants me to do. If anything, dad, she would be disappointed in _you._ Butt out of my life."

With that he left, going to his room and slamming the door shut in the frame, not giving the man a chance to retort or say anything. Locking the door behind himself he leaned back against the frame and closed his eyes, taking a deep shuddering breath to get his nerves and emotions under control. Soothing tones wrapped around him again from Shibuya and he sagged against the wood for a few moments before he moved away to get himself ready for bed.

His good mood had been shot to hell and he moved slowly, changing his clothes into pajama's. He would shower in the morning when the other male in the house was sleeping, if he even stayed. Grabbing his phone out of his bag he got his alarm set for earlier in the morning than usual, making it equal to the fact he was going to bed far earlier than normal. Sighing heavily as he laid down on the bed, he rolled onto his side and stared at the screen. It was a simple design, a sleek black and violet case covering a gray framed device. There were a few games on the phone for him to pass time with, and several apps he didn't know quite what to do with just yet.

If his dad was still here in the morning, he was going to spend the whole day out. He did not want to deal with the man another minute than he had to. It was likely though, that his father would want to go to his mother's grave and drag him along, even though he makes bi-monthly visits himself. Maybe he could feign having a mountain of homework to get out of being trapped in a vehicle with the man?

A huff left him as he let his thumb hover over the texting button, debating if he should open it to see what Shiki or Beat was doing. Neku hadn't had the chance to really talk to them in the past few days, lost in his own mind as well as being just overwhelmed in general from the 'You're the new Conductor' bomb that Josh dropped on his head. He needed to talk to them, let them know that he would be busy at least one week a month, and that he would do whatever he could to hang out with them when he had free time.

Taking the chance, he opened a message to send to all of them, including Rhyme and Eri. ' _Hey, I was wondering if any of you had plans tomorrow night?'_

Setting his phone on the bed face up he waited, thankful that it wasn't long before everyone started to respond.

' _I'm not up to anything all tmrrw nite if Eri doesn't wnt to wrk on the project!'_

' _Nuthin goin on here neku'_

' _I think Beat and I are both free, we've caught up with everything so we are free to do as we wish!'_

' _So long as Shiki doesn't mind! 3 You have something in mind?'_

Neku snorted softly at everyone's responses, a small smile crawling onto his face again, able to tell who sent what without even needing names. He shook his head as he responded to them. ' _I have a few ideas, a group movie, maybe go see what is on sale after? Definitely food. Maybe the new skate park open off Udagawa? They have skates to rent as well as boards and pads last I saw.'_

It was a few minutes again before anyone replies, likely Eri and Shiki deciding what to do about their newest items, and Beat and Rhyme likely asking – more like coercing- their parents into letting them go out. Looking at his door at the sound of a shuffle of feet outside it he heard and watched the doorknob turn slightly before catching on the lock. A frown was on his face and he turned his back to the door, likely that his dad would try to talk to him if he remembered where his spare key was hidden away in case he locked himself out. No one tried to open it and he relaxed once more, waiting with a soft amusement from Shibuya weaving through his own melody coaxing him even further into relaxing.

It was working. He got the feeling that if Shibuya were to be anything right now she would be a cat, a purring and content one at that. A soft snort left him as a larger bubble of amusement crashed into him, elated at the thought of being compared to a cat he guessed? The phone beeping drew his attention away as he read through the responses as they all rolled in one after the other again.

' _Snds like fun neku! Hvnt bn 2 tht prk yet, shld b fun rght?'_ Beats response had him rolling his eyes, the blonds texts always amusing him with his lack of letters in the words. He was thankful that Rhyme helped him to understand her brother's way of text talking.

Shiki's response was equally amusing and legible this time. _'that sounds like a blast neku! We'll have 2 see what movies are playing after school lets out'_

' _I don't want a cheesy horror movie like last time though!'_ Neku snorted at Eri's message, knowing full well that Beat had drawn the paper with the dot on it and he got to choose. It was a very cheesy horror movie that looked like it could have been better.

' _Our parents said we can, we just have to be back by 11. Can we watch a comedy?'_ A comedy did sound good, they just had to hope there was a good one in the theatre, even if it was a foreign film.

Quickly typing his mass response, he sent it out and threw his arm over his eyes. _'Let's try to find a comedy, Eri's turn to pick food, Beat, bring the deck that I designed for you, show it off. Anything else anyone has an idea for tomorrow night let me know in the morning. I need a break and you guys are the best to spend it with. Need to sleep, long day and stressful night'_

Neku only had to wait a few moments before there was a series of confirmations and goodnights and he set his phone on the bedside table where he could reach for it in the morning. The redhead sagged into the mattress, shoving his arms up under the pillow before he got comfortable. Hesitantly he reached out to Shibuya and she reached back, curling in the undercurrent of his stressed, but slowly relaxing, melody.

Mentally he looked over what had happened the past few months, trying to make sense of what was going on and he just buried his face into the pillow to get comfortable. The sudden realization that he was now Conductor had thrown his for a loop, it made sense when he looked back to it though. With him having seeing the Game going on every time that it happened let alone the fact that he could see the Noise floating along the air waiting for players.

Josh's explanations did help a little, and he hoped that the other would at least be forthcoming with information if it was something big, he didn't want to bother Mr. H any more than he had to. Hell, he was thankful that Mr. H had offered to sponsor him initially had he made it back to the RG during his Game. CAT didn't just sponsor anyone, there had to be something behind the man's reason. Maybe he should take him up on that offer? Hopefully his RG life would go unhindered and he would be able to do as he wanted by bringing more and more life to the City and her Music.

That train of thought brought forth the other thing he was dealing with. It wasn't quite like himself that he was so accepting of Shibuya's Music as a fact of his life. Yet, he wasn't unnerved by her when it was just her Music alone, it was when others Music reached out to twine into his, that young teacher for instance made him a little uncomfortable until Shibuya directed him to do what he needed. Looking back now he felt as if he may have done it a few times already, not knowing what he was truly doing. It was stressing, thinking that he may have interfered with someone else's life just by accidentally pressing a stray thought onto them. So far it was working, so he wasn't going to push her away.

In fact, it was relieving to not be alone whenever he was by himself, she was like a blanket, warm, comforting, and accepting. He hoped that in the future that he would be able to hear her 'voice' like the handbook he had read at Ramen Don said he would be able to in the future. He figured that it would be a long ways off for that level. Lazily he watched the window with the eye not pressed to the pillow, where the rain was finally slowing down to gently patter across the glass. By watching it, he slowly drifted off, not caring about anything but the soft Music against his ears and water on the glass.

-LINEBREAK-

" _He is progressing beautifully."_

" _Of course he is, the Composer of Shibuya made sure to pick the most likely candidate for a new Conductor rather early on if you recall."_

" _That may be true, but his methods certainly could have been different. Honestly, a Long Game such as that, threw off the whole UG. So many potentials were lost because of his actions."_

" _Enough squabbling, our session will be starting and we have much to discuss with the ones summoned regarding the new Conductor and his Composers' punishment. Regardless, he will be evaluated properly and trained."_

" _Yes."_

" _Indeed, Raziel."_

The large and crystalline ornate doors to the room slowly swung open and two people stepped through. Joshua moved with a graceful gait, up to the lower platform where he stood with his head held high. Behind him was Sanae, a slower pace before he stopped next to Joshua. There was a visible difference between the two of them, Sanae's power being heavily curtailed to the point of only being able to flicker between Frequencies, left him lackluster almost. Joshua's on the other hand was only slightly hindered, a small handicap as a result of, his overturned decision to destroy the UG; it left him glowing softly.

" _Composer of Shibuya, you've been called here today to give us a direct and clear answer to why you endorsed the Long Game without permission form the Council."_

Joshua took a breath before he spoke, looking between the three on the Council. "I did what I did due to Shibuya beginning the process of Stagnating. I could feel the beginning of a Rot setting in at the edges of my Territory, and I did not want it to spread. Had I brought the matter before you initially you would have hemmed and hawed over it before finally acting. Shibuya would have suffered far more than what it had were you to have done that. I acted in the best interest of my City, and I regret nothing of the choices I made during that time. Shibuya has done nothing but flourish, many of those who had succeeded have helped her grow. I only stepped in when I believed that he would fail, when my Proxy had initially lost his first Partner to his Fee. By putting the strain on his Imagination and Soul that I did, it allowed him to grow stronger, less likely to buckle under a similar stress, and it worked. He surpassed everything that I had planned for, and hit the ground running with his third Partner. They both accomplished much more than I had thought they would."

There was silence for a long few moments, that could have been hours, while the Council spoke with each other on a higher Frequency. Coming to a decision, the one on the higher seat gestured to Sanae. _"Before we give our verdict to you Composer, what does your Fallen Producer have to say regarding his own actions within that Game? What you say will not impact the decision we have made regarding your Composer."_

"I would do it again if I must. Bringing the Taboo Noise into play strengthened the Players and the UG as the Rot that my Composer mentioned was eaten away by them. Our new Conductor played his part by culling the numbers and did so beautifully, keeping the number of the Taboo down to a minimum. Nor did any slip past him into Pork City to reach the RG, thus I believe that what had been done was the right thing." Sanae stood as straight as he could as he felt their eyes on him, judging him for the choice he made in regards to Sho Minamimoto's making of the Taboo Noise, and the Refinery Sigil.

Another long minute was met with silence as there was arguing between two of the three Council members with the third being visibly passive before they stopped. The head of the Council, the one called Raziel, spoke, his voice echoing through the room. _"Our verdict is thus; Yoshiya Kiryu, an additional series of handicaps will be applied to you upon leaving these chambers. You will not be allowed to Ascend to our plane unless you have been called for by Us. You will be restricted to the RG and UG of your Territory only. The coming Gathering will be the_ _ **only**_ _exception and you will be escorted there and back. Your power base will be reduced by half, allowing the creation and destruction of Noise, Players winning the Games for reincarnation, and the promotion or demotion of Reapers. These limiters will be discussed at a chosen later date, when we feel you have served out your punishment. If there comes a time where you must be at your full strength our Council will review with haste and deliver the removal of the Limiters if the situation arises."_

The angel sitting to his immediate right, and the only feminine looking one in the room spoke next, their voice soft. _"As for you Sanae Hanekoma, you will retain your status as Fallen until such a time comes when you have proven yourself to once again be welcome among our ranks. Your power will be reduced to half of what you bear, you will be limited to the UG and 3 days a week to the RG as you have ties there that must remain. You will answer directly to Myself or Raziel in regards to anything significant to report if your Composer is unable to. I am being_ _ **very**_ _generous in your punishment Sanae. Understood?"_

Sanae lowered his head in agreement, knowing that his part in the discussion was done. "Yes, Lady Muriel. Thank you…"

" _Good. As for your Proxy, now Conductor, we wish for him to receive proper training. So far, he has done admirably in learning some of the basics, but he still has a long way to go before he will be ready for any of the larger duties he must take up."_ They sat back in their own chair and looked over to the third member, knowing that they had words to speak as well.

" _The new Conductor of your Territory, Neku Sakuraba, will be trained by an Angel of our choosing. You will not interfere under no circumstances."_ A wave of dismissal was given as Joshua tried to protest. _"You made the rash decision of picking your new Conductor rather than one that has already been trained and knows what they are to do. He must be given proper information rather than the half information you give him. The Angel will arrive within the next few days, and they will be guiding him through what he needs to learn._

" _In regards to him watching another Territory go through their Game I agree with that as it will give him first-hand experience. He will continue to report to you of course but he_ _ **will**_ _be filing a secondary report to give to his watcher. I say again Yoshiya Kiryu, you will_ _ **not interfere**_ _with his training. Am I clear?"_

Joshua clenched his jaws, disliking the notion of the higher ups ripping his duties out from underneath himself. "I understand. What of his personal life? I know for a fact that he wishes to continue to be part of the RG and work to make an impact there like Sanae has."

" _That will be up to his trainer. If by the end of his training, he still wishes to remain straddling the Frequencies he may do as he pleases. However, during his training if his trainer wishes for him to remain in the UG, he will do as ordered lest he be Erased or forcibly Ascended to go through his training here. Upon the completion of his training here, were he to Ascend, he would be reassigned to a different Region. You will not be allowed any contact with him and vice versa with the exceptions of the Gatherings every quarter, as it is difficult to fully monitor all of you in one place. There would be minimum contact and the both of you would be monitored heavily."_

Mr. Hanekoma knew instantly that Neku would chafe at the implications of being ordered around by someone he didn't trust. As well as the fact that if he were to be told to leave his life behind, that would not go over well, but he held his tongue. He glanced at Josh and grimaced before schooling his face again. From the look that he could see from the side of his face, Josh was _furious_ with what was being said, and Neku would echo it when he was informed.

" _Thank you, Azrael. Now, the both of you are dismissed. I will suggest however, that you inform your Conductor that he will be having his teacher soon."_ The trio upon the thrones vanished in a blink after seeing the pair bow, one stiffly.

Joshua turned swiftly and stalked towards the door and out into the hallway, the Music coming from him discordant and angry. That discord was amplified the moment the Limiter slid into place and the feel of it left Sanae discomforted as he couldn't push his own out to soothe the younger man. "Easy Josh, Phones won't take this lying down and you know it."

"That is exactly what I am afraid on Sanae… He won't like this at all. I was going to let him learn as he pleased, I didn't want interference on his learning. He learns best with someone he trusts anyways." When he reached the end of the hallway his Frequency dropped sharply, going directly to the UG as he stalked towards his own throne. "It's after 9, he would be asleep by now. In fact, I can feel that Shibuya is watching over him…"

Sanae tilted his head in thought at what she would be watching over him for. "Are you able to read any of his mood?"

"Not at the moment, beyond a lingering resentment towards someone or something. She is being a little stubborn right now and not telling me what happened. Whatever, I will find out soon enough, he'll tell me eventually." Joshua turned and sat down on the chair, crossing one leg over the other and he propped his chin on a fist. "I do not like the limitations we have been given Sanae. Neku will not be a dog brought to heel, even were if we tell him everything he will not react well."

"I know. He will have to learn to listen to those in higher positions than him. You care little for fanfare and bowing, but there are other Composers that expect the Conductors of other Territories to obey everything told to them. I understand that respect is earned, not given, but for some of the others he needs to be at least a little respectful. Heaven forbid if he runs into New York City's, let alone London's Composers. Every single one of them will rip into him like a chew toy. Bronx and Manhattan especially." Sanae watched Josh and stood off to the side while he waited for the other younger male to respond.

"I know, Sanae, I know. Neku will hate me for this, but my- _our_ hands are tied with this matter. I could hear the finality in the Council's words. I can only hope that an Angel with sense is sent down." The Composer pinched the bridge of his nose slightly before he sighed heavily. "I need to talk to him, either tomorrow or Tuesday. It is likely that they will be looking through their potentials until Wednesday at the earliest… That should give him some time to get his head together."

"Sounds good boss. Try to rest? You look like shit to be honest…"

"I've had little time to sleep Sanae. But I will take your advice, tonight at least. Nothing pressing at the moment. You as well."

"Good night."

"And to you." When Sanae blinked out of existence, Josh let his head fall back to the chair, staring up at the ceiling. "This will be an interesting time… I wonder who they will send?"

-LINEBREAK-

 _A/N: Here is the end of the chapter! It may seem a little rushed, but what happened within this chapter was a look at Neku's life RG and what might end up clashing via the UG when his trainer arrives. This will cause conflict, I can tell you that, but I won't say how much. More will be explained about his family life in the next chapter, his friends are gonna be curious, and he can't exactly say no to Rhyme and her big eyes. His father will be making another appearance soon as well as an insight to what happened with Neku's mom in my beliefs._

 _The Angels on the Council will be back again, not like they would give in easily, right? I won't say when or where but they will be making a return in a few chapters. There are countless Angels in the Higher Plane/ Heaven and I picked them out of a hat to be honest. More about the Higher Plane will happen in future chapters, especially since Neku will begin to have first-hand encounters with some of the Angels._

 _The Trainer will be a frequent part of Neku's life, and I will not spoil which direction that the Trainer goes, just know that Neku will chomp at the bit regardless and not make it easy._

 _As always, I will conclude this with a Please Read and Review!_


	5. Ch 4 Artwork and Koi

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own in any capacity TWEWY, SquareEnix or any FF references that pop in to this work of fiction that will come up. That honor belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and the people of SE, Jupiter Corporation, or h.a.n.d.**_

 _ **Beta-read by: None, currently looking for a willing reader.**_

 _ **Warnings: Yaoi, Yuri, LGBTQ community in general, mentions of sexual relationships (nothing explicit, I like having my account here), mentions of suicide, Death, mentions of abuse(full spectrum of it), mentions of phobias, crossdressing, swearing, OC's abound(got to have players and other Regions of course).**_

 _ **This will be a slow build story. I have plans for it to go beyond 10 chapters (not counting the prologue) and I wish to expand upon the Game a little more with ideas that I've seen loosely touched on as well as things that I have plotted out. I will do my best to not copy anyone else's works, but it will be a little hard to keep too many ideas from clashing.**_

 _ **Chapter Specific Warning:**_

 _Conducting a Symphony_

 _ **What happened last time:**_

" _Sounds good boss. Try to rest? You look like shit to be honest…"_

" _I've had little time to sleep Sanae. But I will take your advice, tonight at least. Nothing pressing at the moment. You as well."_

" _Good night."_

" _And to you." When Sanae blinked out of existence, Josh let his head fall back to the chair, staring up at the ceiling. "This will be an interesting time… I wonder who they will send?"_

 _Chapter 4: Artwork and Koi_

Neku woke up with a start from what he had been dreaming, his chest aching in phantom pain from when he had been shot by Joshua, both times. Reaching up to cover both spots with his hands he curled forwards at the sensation of the memories he wished he could push to the side. They were by far some of the worst memories that the teen ever had, up there with his mothers' passing, and with that tragedy, he realized his father was never going to come home for more than a few passing visits a year.

There was a very heavy and lingering resentment lodged in his chest at the reminder that the man was home for once. Grabbing for his phone, the red-head checked the time, only to groan softly in frustration at the time. The innocent numbers blinked back at him, 3:30 am. "Fucking hell… really?"

No one would really be awake, out of his friends at least. He didn't know if Joshua or Mr. H were awake, but he wasn't going to bother them regardless. Not a single person needed to be bothered right now that he knew. Instead of brooding in his room however, he chose to make good on the self-promise he made and bathed, getting himself as clean as quickly and quietly he could. He didn't want to even run the small chance that his father would even be awake either.

Getting out and dressed in his school uniform once more, he grabbed his things for the day, including a change of clothing for after school, locked his bedroom door and took the spare-key before he left the apartment building. He had a destination in mind and he was going to get there, plus he hadn't been to this place in a long time. It was like Udagawa with the Mural, quiet and peaceful, but this one was a smaller and less artsy place and in a more secluded area than the other.

It was thankfully close to his school when the time came for him to go to it. A little 24-hour internet café had its lights dimmed and there were a few people milling about inside it. CAT had designed the whole front of the café and he was willing to guess that was where Mr. H got his idea to open his own. Picking a table in the front after he got himself a hot chocolate and a small loaf of lemon bread, he settled in and pulled out his laptop, intent on seeing if he can ask a few questions and get some answers from his fellow Conductors, and possibly a few of the friendlier Composers.

Getting everything open and running was easy and he set about posting a major question in his search from the previous day.

 _ **Inquiry:**_ _How does the point system work in the Game?_

Thankfully the question was answered rather quickly, one in a language he had no clue how to read or understand (he could have sworn it was French or Spanish), but another that was in Japanese. He must not have set the translation up properly or something, it should have automatically gone through into Japanese, or English, he could read both- even if his spoken English was sketchy at best.

Aokigahara's Conductor was the one to respond to him in full, and that alone had him blink. He knew of all the legends surrounding the Sea of Trees on Mt. Fuji, and he should have realized that there would of course be a Game centered around the largest and possibly one of the most terrifying pieces of history in the country.

 _The overall Point System varies from Region to Region, Territories included, but it is common that Points for Reapers are based off the amount of Noise Dispatched, the number of Players Erased, the Number of Players hindered and how, and general interference into the Players playing the Game._

 _For the Players, it is a little different. The amount of Noise Erased plays a minor fraction of the overall Score in the end, whereas the Completion of Missions that are assigned are a major count towards the Score. Other things such as items found or purchased, mastery of their attuned Pins, how far into the Mission a pair made it, and how far they progressed as an Individual throughout their time in the Game._

 _Some Players make progress in leaps and bounds while others either make very little or none at all. Generally, the Players who amount an Individual progress of 51% or higher have a better chance at being Reincarnated. Those who have 30-50% Individual progress are given the option of becoming Reapers or going through the Game a second time. Those with 29% or less are Erased as they are deemed a threat to not only themselves but to others. This is done solely to prevent a Player with a low progress from dropping into a Frequency they shouldn't touch, begin imprinting upon other people with vile tasks or thoughts, as well as bolster the Noise and the Music of the Territory to a troubling amount._

 _The numbers may vary in your Territory, as yours has a vast amount of things that can be done in regards to locating Items but here is the general rundown of the average point acquired by Reapers first, then Players in most Territories._

 _ **Reapers**_ _:  
Dispatched Noise: varies based on Stats from 10-500 Points.  
Players Erased: 300 per Player. Additional 100 per 10% after Individual progress breaches 30%  
Successful Hindrance of Players by Wall Support: 250 Per Successful stall.  
Interference with the Mission: 150 Per successful delay (not Noise related)_

 _Reapers must have at least 2000 new points to continue into the next Game. Points for a Reaper is their lifespan._

 _ **Players:**_ _  
Number of Missions completed: 400 points per Mission  
Progress through Missions rendered incomplete: 0-300 points depending on level of success before another pair finished.  
Progression of Individual Awareness: 0-500 points varies per Players Individual progress  
Items bought or acquired: 50-500, Points dealt via price of Item purchased or the results of the battle to acquire it. More expensive or difficult to procure Items are worth more Points.  
Number of Pins Mastered: Majority of Players can only master 1 to 3 types of Pin Type such as, Ignition and Shockwave, the Points are based upon the strength of the Pins that have been mastered, Class._

 _Class C = 50 Points_

 _Class B = 75 Points_

 _Class A = 100 Points_

 _Class Angel = 150 Points_

 _Class Reaper = 175 Points_

 _Class - = Depends solely upon the type of Pin._

 _Noise Erasure count: 0-100 Points per day with 1 per noise until 100 is reached. No Points are accumulated thereafter._

 _There is no limit as to how many Points a Player may make._

 _Please note however that the Territories vary in some ways. New York and Los Angeles both add Points based upon the Brand used regarding pins and Milan and Barcelona vary by Clothing worn and purchased. There are thousands of Territories Shibuya, yours alone is part of a 17 Territory District within a Region of more than 200 individual Territories. Many echo what Shibuya does as often as doing the exact opposite based upon their City's Music._

 _I hope you find this useful._

 _Aokigahara Conductor, Hashimoto S_ _ō_ _tar_ _ō_

Neku read through the Point scale and he marked in the notebook a few empty pages past where he had all of his unanswered questions, what the average Scale was. He would have to weasel it out of Joshua sooner or later what the accurate numbers and the Graded aspects of his Territory was. While he was writing it all out a few more replies were popping up, majority of which he had to run through the translator up in the corner properly. Almost all the other messages, including the one posted before Aokigahara's, basically said the same thing. While others simply agreed with them.

 _Thank you for your help. All of you. I have other questions if anyone is willing to answer? I am incredibly new to this position and I would like to have a few other Territories points of views to build off of for my Territory's Game._

There was a short lull before several comments popped up and one caught his eyes right off the bat, the Composer for Sri Lanka. Thankfully it was in Japanese, or at least the site started to translate everything for him properly.

 _Wait, you haven't gone through Training for the position? That's really bad if you haven't gone through Training, the Higher Plane doesn't like that to happen unless it's pre-discussed._

Neku blinked and tilted his head at the comment before another few echoed what Sri Lanka said, Aokigahara, Seattle, and Lima.

 _That is not good, what did Kiryu think when he did this to you? He knows better than that._ Aokigahara's Conductor again.

 _Just like the little priss… You better brace yourself for the impact about to happen kid. Because this will not be pretty._ Seattle's Conductor.

 _Not good. Being pushed into the Conductor position with no prior training is a very bad thing. Not for you specifically of course, but for the Composer, likely a penalty got shoved onto him for his actions._ Lima's Conductor.

None of what they were saying sounded like it was good and Neku hesitated for a moment before he typed again. He wanted to know what he was going to need to expect, especially if it seemed like Joshua bent the rules for him. Again.

 _What am I supposed to expect then? Nothing has really been told to me yet, I have a manual that was given to me, but I haven't yet had the chance to read through it all the way._

The responses weren't as quick to come this time, likely they were arguing amongst themselves in another chat or something before there was a very long reply from Seattle this time.

 _Okay kid, what you need to know right now is that the Higher Plane is likely very,_ _ **very**_ _pissed at your Composer. The last time a Composer just picked a Player off the streets of the game and shoved them into being Conductor, the poor guy was ripped apart by Players in the man's next Game. The reason why this little stipulation even happened is because New Orleans got it into Her head that she didn't need to have anyone higher ranked than her tell her who to appoint in the empty spot, so she just grabbed a random Player, one that had the highest Point count and threw him into play._

 _When the HP found out they were livid, also it happened when Katrina went through and drowned a good chunk of the RG along with the UG. So, there were two messes that needed cleaned up. The RG was quick to be fixed, while their UG is still trying to recover from the loss of two Conductors in two Games in a row._

 _New York City in general suffered much the same when 9/11 happened a few years before that. There were a LOT of people killed and with it happening so quickly all the Composers and Conductors felt the drag in power in New York state and the Bronx Conductor was killed in the sudden flux and rebound. Manhattans Composer flipped shit and needed to be put down by his own Conductor._

 _That was a very bad mess that happened there. The original Casualty rate for that event was in reality, higher than the official count because we sent several through Games all over the nation (it was closer to 4300 people). It was a mess. Bronx did the same thing New Orleans did, the only thing that kept that one in place was the fact that He refused to let her fail and taught her as much he could with other Territories assisting him. That Conductor is still there today, but she is a little out of it every so often._

 _The Conductor of Manhattan was given a crash course in being Composer and he elevated a Reaper (I don't remember who, she was nice though) but that poor girl didn't last more than a handful of Games due to her Music not being able to handle the stress. She collapsed in on herself and dissolved. The HP got fed up and sent down one of the Ascended Reapers and instated that little prissy assbag back into his former place as Conductor until another Reaper with enough strength was trained up. It took a while, but they got Manhattan back up and running properly after that. (Their new composer is a total badass and takes no ones shit)_

 _The point is though kid, Shibuya will be in a state of Flux, no matter how good you are for your Composer to have picked you. That flux will leave your UG very unstable for a while, not terribly bad, but bad enough that your Reapers will need to be watching the Edges of the Territory closely for the Composer and you. Stray Noise will build up there and encroach upon the people within your Territory like a child going for a bag of Skittles wanting a sugar high._

 _You will likely have an Angel come down to train you. Don't disrespect them, they will send your ass to the Higher Plane with no restraint and you will be an easy target up there. Not all the Angels are bad people, some are just doing their job, while others hate even stepping foot into this plane and think we are little more than worthless plebeians._

 _What your Composer did is not a good thing. You will be watched and graded until you are deemed ready to fully settle into your Position. It could be only a few round of your Game or it could be almost a year before they deem you properly trained._

 _This Angel you will be getting, they will be the one to answer majority of the questions that involve the Game. They will teach you how to fight without Pins, how to create Noise, manage Points, all sorts of things related to the Game. You need to trust that the Angel will be doing all of this in your best interest. The HP doesn't want you to fail, they want people who know what they are doing in their given Positions._

 _I can still answer smaller questions, and so can others here, but you need to let your Trainer teach you for your Territories sake. You don't have to like the Angel that is assigned to you, but you WILL need to respect them and what they are doing. Some Angels are dickish enough to refuse you to have any access to anyone you know or have spoken too unless it is as a reward or some shit… So be_ _polite_ _._

 _When you are done training, it will be whatever you want to do, I'll be here to answer stuff!_

 _Seattle Conductor_

 _Aubry Monroe_

Neku read through it all and he slowed down and had to reread it twice more before he sat back to think in silence. There were a few more people milling about in the café now that it was closer to 5 in the morning, but still not quite enough for him to be annoyed. As it stood, he was apprehensive, what Seattle had just sent him threw him for a loop.

Conductors weren't just thrown into the position, they were trained before taking that spot up. Composers were just elevated Conductors from what he could understand from what had been spoken about regarding Manhattan's situation. It left him kind of winded as it sunk in.

Josh had just thrown him into this with no warning. Literally dropping a ticking time bomb on top of his untrained Conductor, and Neku would have to learn how to do all of this faster than he probably should have. Shaking his head free from that train of thought, he knew it was stupid of Joshua to have done this, but he could see why the blond male had. Neku could feel it in himself that he had grown as a person, and his Imagination had gone through the roof. He had sketchbooks that were chock full of drawings, completed and rough both. Notebooks filled with lyrics to songs he had come up with as well as rough tempos and music notes set up in margins between the lines.

Even he could and would admit that the Game, the Long Game at that, was good for him as a person. Now it was falling to him to make things right, and better the City and the surrounding Music. Thinking about it now, he could probably make several of the drawings he had come up with into Pins for Players. Maybe even toss a few towards Shiki and Eri for them to base some of their clothing around, they were both designing and making clothing faster than he thought they would. He knew that Eri would appreciate a challenge to design and Shiki a chance to work on a few new techniques for sewing…

A few more soft dings showing more replies had his attention drawn out from where it was going.

 _This is Shinjuku's Conductor, Sakamoto Haruhi. I am willing to guess that Mr. Kiryu will be having you shadow my Territory in our next Game, if your new trainer allows that to happen of course. My Composer and I will do our best to show and assist you with your new duties._

Neku let his shoulders sag slightly before he sighed. Joshua mentioned something like this, didn't he? He didn't remember for sure or not. Either way, it looked like he was going to have someone teaching him regardless if an Angel shows up or not. Besides that, seeing another Territory perform the Game might help settle his simmering nerves down about his own Game. With what Aokigahara had said about the Point system, he figured that the Game varied from place to place, and he wondered if there were Games out there that were less focused on fighting.

Another person was just sending a bunch of Emoji's and he couldn't really tell what they were trying to even say. That had him snorting slightly before he looked to another.

 _You will be taken care of, none of the Higher Plane likes having to lose potential Composer or Conductor worthy people to Players who get too big for their britches. The Angel that gets sent to train you will be good enough to keep you on your toes without letting you fall too hard. You'll get plenty of bumps and bruises of course, but that is a given thing. Even for those of us who go topside to train, we got our butts kicked pretty hard by the ones who taught us. I'm the Composer from Dallas, Texas' Northern Territory, we got hit by Katrina pretty badly too Player wise, but we pulled through. I was promoted during that as well so I know how majority of the new officers feel._

That was a little relieving to at least understand that the Higher Plane wasn't out for his head at the moment. But it was put on the back burner as he reread the last comment. Rubbing at his face in rebuilding frustration he sighed. "Great… Just what I need, someone to boss me around that I don't know… It's one thing if it were like an interview for a job… "

He grabbed for his drink and took a long swallow of the still warm liquid before he set it back down to respond to the ones who gave him answers. He typed his response as quickly as he could.

 _Thank you for the information that you gave me. It will help me more than you know. Is there anything that I can ask about your respective Games? From what I'm getting each one is different._

There was another few long moments of no responses that left him feeling uncomfortable in the silence that was even in the café. Everyone was quiet, reading papers, or working on projects on their devices.

Slowly a few confirmations came through that some would tell him about how their Games ran, but they all said something along the lines of no one would be answering anything until after his Trainer had arrived to teach him. Seattle gave him a fuller answer though again and he was thankful for a legitimate and thought out reason beyond the generic answer that everyone else gave him.

 _We would be happy to give you answers, but you need to wait for your trainer to at least teach you a few of the basics before we tell you about our Games. Getting a basic understanding for what you will be doing lays out ground rules for your Music to follow. The way our Games work, might not work for Shibuya, and vice versa. The basic aspects will always be the same, but the overall running won't be the exact same. I don't think that you want to get our Games mixed into yours on accident. Take some time to get to know how your Game runs and we will go from there._

 _When you go to the Gathering we can meet face to face if you want, there will be plenty of people around for you to ask others who aren't on here. Plus, exchanging ideas is always a fun thing to do. I got some pretty cool Pin ideas for some song based ones at the last one. A few others got good Noise ideas to throw around too. For now, just be patient._

He knew full well that this was something that he didn't want to hear, but it was better than what the alternative could be. It could have just been dumped on his head the instant it happened rather than this slightly more polite way to learn about this. A deep sigh left his throat and he reached up and rubbed at his face with one hand, the other pulling his headphones out of his bag so that he could drown out the silence that was in the café.

Shibuya's Music was still weaving through his senses, but he wanted to hear more, mixed with the music playing in his ears. As he was doing that quick task, he kept his eyes on the screen, watching as a few more people agreed with Seattle, offering to give him advice once he had a good grasp on his training.

That train of thought had him grimacing and settling back in his chair as he started to go through his thoughts. He trying to see what he would ask about whenever his trainer arrived, and hope that his trainer would at the least not be stuffy and prissy. It took an effort to bring himself back to the present and he levered himself forward so that he could type back to the group, music playing in his ears and weaving through his person in a soft stream-like flow.

 _I look forward to the Gathering then. I can only hope that I survive my training all the way through. Thanks for the answers you all gave me. I have to get ready for what I have going on today._

Neku waited for a few moments as a few responded with good-byes in various languages and then he signed out of the forum and he shut the laptop before storing it away. A faint frown was on his face as he looked out the window, going over what all had been typed to him in response to the discovery that he hadn't been trained by the Higher Plane. He could tell that none of the ones that responded expected him to be untrained.

Obviously the situation was worse than he thought it was.

Everything was coming to a head now, slowly converging on his mental state and it was stressing to realize he had been thrust onto this path without knowing. Looking back, he knew that the person he was before, would have collapsed under the stress and strain of the city's hustle and bustle and his fathers expectations. If he had even survived the Game without Shiki having chose to make a Pact with him. He had grown stagnant, nothing new had been coming to him ever since his last friend before Shiki barged into his life.

That thought alone brought a grimace to his face and he watched the road in front of where he was seated with a heavy sigh. The sky was finally starting to slowly lighten up, giving him another hour or so before he needed to start his way to school, lest he be tardy. Feeling drained already for the day he shifted and looked down to his bag at his feet and reached in pulling out one of his sketchbooks, the one he had dedicated solely to the Game. Gently he ran his fingers over the heavy cardboard cover that protected the art he had filled the pages within it with.

The Music of Shibuya piqued with a soft trilling of high notes before it slipped into a low soft rumble of content as he flipped through the pages, looking over the doodles and sketches as well as the complete pieces down to the finest detail. There had been a point in time where he would have laughed and sneered at his new style of artwork. Sharp edges, smooth curves, and variations of colors that he knew didn't have names where he mixed his water colors to blend new shades.

Countless designs for Pins were on several of the front pages, some for passive abilities, others for attacking, and a lot more for defensive motions. Barriers were something that he was grateful to have found when he was midway through his second Week with Josh. The Crackle-Pop Barrier pin was a godsend when he needed to let his other Pins recharge. Not to mention Splish-Splash Barrier helped immensely when he confronted Megumi in the Room of Reckoning; there were simply too many times during that battle that he could and should have died at. But those two were the only useful barriers that he had found. More needed to be made, all with different abilities, and these were some of the better designs that he had come up with.

It was going to be an adventure that was for sure. He had the power to make these thoughts into reality, to give Life to his Imagination. Yet, he knew that he had to hold off trying because he didn't want to risk harming his City. That brought a soft pleased and amused hum to his mind as he listened to his headphones and flipped further into the pages. Noise designs were the ones taking up a lot the pages.

Several were completely new designs that none of the Reapers had submitted to their Territory's databank after he had found out about the laptop -he checked to make sure that no one had made any so fewer toes would be stomped on. Some of the newer designs were based off a few designs he had seen in the files on his laptops- more refined, changes in details and colors as well as a short list of adjusted stats in the margins comments were made at the bottom of the pages of who was the original submitter was. The newer ones he had doodled out while he was going through the database yesterday at Ramen Don's.

He knew full well that there was a large amount of different noise already, but he liked the thought of having more to go against. Much like the Pig Noise, he was thinking of making a few more passive type Noise to give the Players a more rewarding sort of challenge. The issue was getting another idea that would be used in that place. Neku was thinking of something like a cat or a monkey. Or even a Koi? They were meant to be signs of strength and perseverance towards a goal. There was at least a dozen or so variations of the fish, with each subspecies being unique. He could use that legend as a baseline.

Nodding as an idea came to mine he pulled out a pencil from his bag, then he flipped to a new and empty page and started to trace out a rough shape. Slowly lines started to become clearer, graceful curves and a few sharp corners. A few erased lines here and there as well as a secondary fin being drawn beneath the first, and he had a rough design.

It was simple at its base, its body long and flowing with an elegant tail. The pattern of its tail and fins was clearly what identified it as a Noise, with the patterns that mirrored along its back being echoed in the flow of the appendages. It was clearly an imitation of the traditional Kohaku Koi; faint lines were pointed at areas as well as words put at the ends for what colors went where and he began a quick sketch of the creature from the other side of it with a smile.

When he was done with that one he flipped to another page and drew another Koi, and another after that one. Soon enough he had sketched out almost 7 different designs, each with their own quirk and tentative name choices written at the top. Turning to start a new one he jumped slightly as his phone started to buzz against the tabletop next to his elbow.

Blinking at the time that was flashing up at him he sighed and started to pack up everything again. He took a quick pass through the drawings he had done and smiled before slipping the sketch book into his bag behind the laptop. Cleaning up the tabletop with a quick swipe of a napkin he grabbed the rest of his trash and slung his bag over his shoulder and picked up the smaller bag of his clothing with his free had and he left the store. More people were starting to pour into the café, so he was relieved that he was finally able to leave the building.

A few people pushed past him and he moved out of the way to keep from having to deal with angry people so early in the morning, but he kept on moving, weaving his way down the streets and around a few corners to reach the gates of his school again. There was already a growing crowd of other students milling about in the courtyard when he arrived and he slipped past majority of them to get to his storage cubby.

For now, his day would be normal, and he hoped that as he got through it, his dad wouldn't be home when he was done with his friends. Slipping his shoes off to store them, he grabbed his uwabaki and put them on. He paused after he stood up and looked over his shoulder, having felt someone watching him.

No one, just his immediate classmates, and the upper and lower classmen were around him that he could see. The Music of Shibuya flowed softly through his thoughts, no sign of something being amiss and he relaxed before sighing and going off to his classroom to put up his bag before assembly.

-LINEBREAK-

"So, that is the boy I will be training?"

" _Yes, he has a near limitless pool of Imagination. Far more than We have seen in a very long time. The potential for him to move up past being a simple Conductor is there, just waiting to be polished and refined."_

"Is there a limit to how far you want me to push him? Or is that via my choice?"

" _The length you go to push him is your choice. All We ask for is that you do not shatter him irreparably. He is one of the few gems on this Plane with the potential to be great."_

There was a pause and a soft sound of amused laughter. "Then I will do my best to not disappoint. He will be stronger than the diamonds that humans covet so dearly."

" _Good, We look forward to the results of your training."_

There was the sound of fluttering wings and then just the sounds of the City wove through the air. Shibuya was curious, the Music it let off tentatively poking at the figure here and there in caution, wary of his intentions, but not enough to alert its Composer or Conductor. Slowly a few more prods had the person reaching out with their own Music, bells softly ringing with low deep tones harmonized with higher tolls intending to show that they were not intending harm.

Shibuya let a rumble of Music build in acceptance, and then left the figure alone. Sun-bleached blond hair fell in front of an impeccably flawless and young face as they looked back down to the school below their perch. Taking a few moments to observe the motions that students were going through as they prepared for class and waited for their teachers, they began weaving the Music of Shibuya just enough to be able to blend in when they stepped foot onto the Realground Plane.

"Lets see how this goes hmm? It's been centuries since I have stepped foot down here…" The person spoke to the Music that was weaving into their being, adapting and changing their Frequency a wide toothy smile pulling at lips. "Time to start your training Sakuraba Neku... I hope you live up to expectations."

-LINEBREAK-

A/N: I'm going to end this here. I cut this down in half, I had almost 13k words already written so I am going to post this part now and edit the next part up. The next part will be out as soon as I am able to get it. It will however be at least a week, I work every day starting tomorrow morning until late afternoon and I have very little free time to write at the moment.

As you all see though, the Trainer is now in play, you'll all find out their name next time too and at least how they perceive themselves. There will be answers in the next part, as well as the first full sight of all Neku's friends.

Please be patient with me and Review!


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